PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Charlie Morgan, a chief warrant officer in the New Hampshire Army National Guard, is being remembered as a fighter for equal rights.

A memorial service was held in a Portsmouth church Thursday for the 48-year-old Morgan, who lost her battle with breast cancer Sunday. She fought to repeal the federal law barring her wife from receiving benefits to help care for their daughter.

Morgan's widow, Karen, discussed the couple's participation in a lawsuit seeking the same benefits for same-sex couples that the U.S. military provides for heterosexual couples.

The Portsmouth Herald reports (http://bit.ly/11Kh6pa) Mark Lahey, Morgan's supervisor during their deployment to Kuwait, said Morgan was dealt the "cruelest" of ironies. He said she was charged with ensuring military personnel had equal opportunities, but was denied the same.